62K people in Manitoba are food insecure: Winnipeg Harvest suggests Basic Income

Making sure all Canadians have enough to eat is a mission that all everyone can get behind, says Winnipeg Harvest's Donald Benham.

At the end of November, Liberal senators held an open caucus meeting to discuss food insecurity. About four million Canadians, including more than one million children, lack food security. The caucus meeting pointed out that Canada does not have a national food policy or strategy.

Benham said every Canadian should have the right to enough food, "just as every Canadian has the right to health care." He said there are about 62,000 people in Manitoba who are food insecure.

"The second-largest city in Manitoba is Brandon, with about 45,000 people," he said. "So if you took everybody who is struggling to put a roof over their head and food on the table, wherever they are in Manitoba, and put them in one place it would be way bigger than Manitoba's second-largest city."